One & Done: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Austin Eckroat, as expected, had some butterflies on the first tee at the 2020 Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN. The Oklahoma State senior was one of two amateurs in the event through a sponsor's invite and his only previous PGA TOUR start was the U.S. Open in 2019. "I was really nervous on the first tee but my caddie (Stone Coburn) was more nervous, so that was calming to me," Eckroat said. "I necked the drive in the fairway, way up the heel, but it went straight. I was telling Stone, I just need to get a couple good swings in me, and I'll be good." He hit a 6-iron to 8 feet on his first hole, and though he missed the birdie putt, he said, "I was pretty much calm for the rest of the event." He made the cut after back-to-back rounds of 69, and he got to 9-under after a birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie stretch early on Saturday. And that's when it hit him. "I looked up at the scoreboard and it said T2," Eckroat said. "I was like, oh my God. Holy sh*t! I have a legitimate chance of winning this event." Eckroat did not win the tournament, but his former teammate and current roommate, Viktor Hovland, did. He is also great friends with another former Cowboy and PGA TOUR winner, Matthew Wolff. Wolff advised Eckroat that the competition on the PGA TOUR is very similar to college golf, and if you feel like you're playing well enough to win or be in contention, then you'll be in contention. "I was super impressed with him. To put four rounds together as an amateur, that’s really impressive because most amateur events are only three rounds," Wolff said. "He made the cut pretty easily so that was really nice. From there he kind of just kept the pedal down." With his family in attendance in Mexico, Eckroat made his first PGA TOUR cut and finished a remarkable T12 in the event. "I played really solid at the tournament obviously, but it's not like I played way better than I've ever played in my entire life," Eckroat said. "You grow up playing and you're hoping that one day you'll good enough and you want to believe that you are but you're never sure until you get out there. And I think this last week really helped me believe that." Wolff sent Eckroat a congratulatory text and added, "It just proves that when he’s playing well, he can play with anyone. I guess maybe everything hasn’t fallen in place for him in college and I’m sure he wanted to leave a little bit ago, but he’s going to get his chance and I like his chances." Prior to the PGA TOUR event, Eckroat got a chance to flash his talent at the PXG College Golf Showcase, which airs on Golf Channel on December 16 at 7 p.m. ET. He teamed up with collegiate rival Garett Reband (Oklahoma), and Pro Football Hall of Famers Jerome Bettis and Brian Urlacher to raise money for the military. "Those two guys (Bettis and Urlacher) were good! They were also great guys and really fun to be around," recalled Eckroat. "It was funny to see their competitive spirit. It was cool to see that there's something about those guys when they get put on stage, and it was the same for us college golfers too. Once the cameras turned on, it was a completely different feel, everyone got better. It was a cool experience." Eckroat currently sits at No. 3 in the PGA TOUR University Ranking. A finish inside the top-5 would guarantee Korn Ferry Tour starts. Wouldn't that be a cool experience? "I never really dreamed of being an astronaut or a firefighter. I always dreamed of being a professional golfer. To have that right around the corner is pretty cool."

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The waiter was busy taking their orders. When he got to Brady, Ben Crane’s 9-year-old son, the youngster simply held up a plastic Ziploc bag. Inside were two of the prettiest rainbow trout you’d ever want to see. “I want you to cook these for me,â€� Brady said. Those fish were the first he’d ever caught fly fishing. And seeing how excited his son was as he reeled those trout in may have been the highlight of the trip for Brady’s dad. “I was so proud of him,â€� Crane recalls, smiling broadly. And the fish tasted pretty darn good, too. That three-day fishing trip in Arkansas earlier this year was their first “boys onlyâ€� excursion. Joining Crane and Brady were Crane’s brother Tim and his son Elijah and their father Doug. The two left the day after Crane accepted the Charlie Bartlett Award given by the Golf Writers Association of America at its annual dinner in Augusta, Georgia. The award recognizes a player for his or her contributions to the betterment of society, and Brady – to his credit —  gamely sat through myriad of speeches that night. The two flew to Memphis the next day and then drove three-and-a-half hours to the White River where they settled into the cabin that would be their home for the next three days. The return trip was even longer, five hours in a car, but no one was complaining. The father-son bonding time was precious to the five-time PGA TOUR winner. “It was a long drive, which was actually fun,â€� Crane recalls. “He’s nine so now he can be sitting up front with me and I’m just looking over at him and just enjoying that, having that time together and playing some Michael Jackson songs, playing some songs that mean something to my childhood and stuff.â€� Crane says he and his wife Heather often talk about how quickly  their three children – Brady and his sisters, Cassidy and Saylor, who are 11 and 6, respectively – are growing up. This trip was an opportunity to put the brakes on, if only for a few days. “Heather and I always think about this season of life,â€� Crane says. “What would we give in 10 years to have this day back with our kids where they’re impressionable, where they’re learning and they’re growing? “We just want to be intentional about parenting them and teaching them the joys and the pitfalls of life.â€� Some of the stories Crane told his son were funny. Goofy, even – after all, this is the man behind the hugely popular Golf Boys videos. But others were more impactful – like the time a couple of little girls put a young boy struggling for attention in his place. “I was kind of bragging about stuff, whatever, and these girls, I walked into the house and they said, ‘Man in the mirror, take a look at yourself and make a change,’â€� Crane said, reciting the lyrics of the popular Michael Jackson song. “And it like crushed me like a little eight, nine year old kid. “I told Brady, I’m like, when we brag about ourselves it does not go well. Like other people do not enjoy hearing it. … But now I look back on it. I’m like, okay, they were sending a message that was hurtful, but it was a good one.â€� And while Crane says “it’s amazing to see your kids light up when you share personal stories of your childhood,â€� it was hardly a one-way street. And the two had such a good time together that when offered a choice between sports camp and a trip to the John Deere Classic with his dad, Brady chose the golf tournament. One thing the group didn’t count on during that trip to Arkansas, though, was Mother Nature. Turns out the weather was unseasonably cold for April. “We literally went through our suitcases and we put on everything, every t-shirt, every whatever …  because it was probably 40 degrees on the river,â€� Crane recalls. “So it made the fishing really, really slow and so it wasn’t normal. “So you had to tell stories. You had to bundle up.â€� Once in a while, though, the rainbow trout couldn’t resist those flies cast into the cold, clear water. So there was no need for any fish stories when the trip was done. The Cranes caught the real thing – in more ways than one.

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